Wave generator system and method for free-form bodies of water

ABSTRACT

A wave park for an open or large body of water is disclosed. The wave park includes a body of water, and a track positioned in or proximate the body of water. The wave park further includes at least one foil coupled to move along the track, the at least one foil being at least partially submerged in the body of water. The at least one foil has a curvilinear cross-sectional geometry that includes a leading surface that is concave about a vertical axis to provide drag to generate a primary wave laterally in water of the body of water that contacts the leading surface of the foil, and a trailing surface that narrows from a maximum width of the foil adjacent the leading surface to a point at an end of the foil, the trailing surface to decrease the drag of the foil and to minimize oscillatory waves that trail the primary wave from the water moving past the leading surface of the foil.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/140,405, filed Sep. 24, 2018 entitled “Wave Generator System andMethod for Free-Form Bodies of Water”, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 15/333,166 filed Oct. 24, 2016, entitled“Wave Generator System and Method for Free-Form Bodies of Water;” nowU.S. Pat. No. 10,081,956, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/286,807 filed May 23, 2014, entitled “WaveGenerator System and Method for Free-Form Bodies of Water;” now U.S.Pat. No. 9,476,213, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/071,514, filed Nov. 4, 2013, entitled “SurfaceGravity Wave Generator And Wave Pool;” now U.S. Pat. No. 9,546,491,which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/609,239,filed Sep. 10, 2012, entitled “Surface Gravity Wave Generator And WavePool,” now U.S. Pat. No. 8,573,887, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 12/274,321, filed Nov. 19, 2008, entitled“Surface Gravity Wave Generator And Wave Pool,” now U.S. Pat. No.8,262,316; and this application also claims the benefit of priorityunder 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No.61/827,457, filed May 24, 2013, titled “Wave Generator System and Methodfor Free-Form Bodies of Water,” the disclosures of which are herebyincorporated by reference in their entirety herein.

BACKGROUND

Ocean waves have been used recreationally for hundreds of years. One ofthe most popular sports at any beach with well-formed, breaking waves issurfing. Surfing and other board sports have become so popular, in fact,that the water near any surf break that is suitable for surfing isusually crowded and overburdened with surfers, such that each surfer hasto compete for each wave and exposure to activity is limited. Further,the majority of the planet's population does not have suitable access toocean waves in order to even enjoy surfing or other ocean wave sports.

Another problem is that the waves at any spot are varied andinconsistent, with occasional “sets” of nicely formed waves that aresought after to be ridden, interspersed with less desirable and, in somecases, unrideable waves. Even when a surfer manages to be able to ride aselected wave, the duration of the ride lasts only a mere 2-30 secondson average, with most rides being between 5 and 10 seconds long.

Ocean surface waves are waves that propagate along the interface betweenwater and air, the restoring force is provided by gravity, and so theyare often referred to as surface gravity waves. FIG. 1 illustrates theprinciples that govern surface gravity waves entering shallow water.Waves in deep water generally have a constant wave length. As the waveinteracts with the bottom, it starts to “shoal.” Typically, this occurswhen the depth gets shallower than half of the wave's length, the wavelength shortens and the wave amplitude increases. As the wave amplitudeincreases, the wave may become unstable as the crest of the wave ismoving faster than the trough. When the amplitude is approximately 80%of the water depth the wave starts to “break” and we get surf. This runup and breaking process is dependent on the slope angle and contour ofthe beach, the angle at which the waves approach the beach, and thewater depth and properties of the deep water waves approaching thebeach. Refraction and focusing of these waves is possible throughchanges to the bottom topography.

Ocean waves generally have five stages: generation, propagation,shoaling, breaking, and decay. The shoaling and breaking stages are themost desirable for rideable waves. The point of breaking being stronglydependent on the ratio of the water depth to the wave's amplitude butalso depends on the contour, depth and shape of the ocean floor. Inaddition, velocity, wavelength and height of the wave, among otherfactors, can also contribute to the breaking of a wave. In general, awave can be characterized to result in one of four principal breakertypes: spilling, plunging, collapsing, and surging. Of these wave typesthe spilling waves are preferred by beginner surfers while the plungingwaves are revered by more experienced surfers. These breaker types areillustrated in FIG. 2 .

Various systems and techniques have been tried to replicate ocean wavesin a man-made environment. Some of these systems include directing afast moving, relatively shallow sheet of water against a solid sculptedwaveform to produce a water effect that is ridable but is not actually awave. Other systems use linearly-actuated paddles, hydraulics orpneumatics caissons or simply large controlled injections of water togenerate actual waves. However, all of these systems are inefficient intransferring energy to the “wave”, and none of these systems, forvarious reasons and shortcomings, have yet to come close to generating awave that replicates the desired size, form, speed and break of the mostdesirable waves that are sought to be ridden, i.e. waves enteringshallow water that plunge, breaking with a tube and which have arelatively long duration and sufficient face for the surfer to maneuver.

SUMMARY

This document presents a wave generator system and wave pool thatgenerates surface gravity waves that can be ridden by a user on asurfboard. In particular, this document describes an apparatus, method,and system to generate waves of a desired surfability in free-formbodies of water, such as an ocean, a lake (natural or man-made), a pond(natural or man-made), or the like. The apparatus, method and systemdescribed herein generates waves in a body of water without a side wall.

In one aspect, a wave park for an open or large body of water isdisclosed. The wave park includes a body of water, and a trackpositioned in or proximate the body of water. The wave park furtherincludes at least one foil coupled to move along the track, the at leastone foil being at least partially submerged in the body of water. The atleast one foil has a curvilinear cross-sectional geometry that includesa leading surface that is concave about a vertical axis to provide dragto generate a primary wave laterally in water of the body of water thatcontacts the leading surface of the foil, and a trailing surface thatnarrows from a maximum width of the foil adjacent the leading surface toa point at an end of the foil, the trailing surface to decrease the dragof the foil and to minimize oscillatory waves that trail the primarywave from the water moving past the leading surface of the foil.

The details of one or more embodiments are set forth in the accompanyingdrawings and the description below. Other features and advantages willbe apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other aspects will now be described in detail with referenceto the following drawings.

FIG. 1 depicts properties of waves entering shallow water.

FIG. 2 illustrates four general types of breaking waves.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are a top and side view, respectively, of a pool havingan annular shape.

FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of a bottom contour of a pool.

FIG. 5 illustrates an embodiment of a pool in an annular configuration,and a wave generator on an inner wall of the pool.

FIG. 6 illustrates an embodiment of a section of a pool in an annularconfiguration having a wave generator arranged vertically along an outerwall.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are a perspective view and cross-sectional view,respectively, to illustrate an embodiment of a shape of a foil for alinear section of wall.

FIG. 8A illustrates a section of an embodiment of a foil 500 includingan eccentric roller.

FIGS. 8B and 8C illustrate an embodiment of a foil 500 with severalmorphing rollers.

FIG. 9 shows the relative geometry of the velocity of the wavepropagation with respect to the foil velocity.

FIG. 10 illustrates an embodiment of a wave generator pool in which arotating inner wall is positioned within a fixed outer wall.

FIG. 11 illustrates an embodiment of a wave generator in which aflexible layer is placed on an outer wall, and the outer wall includes anumber of linear actuators for being arranged around the entire lengthor circumference of the outer wall.

FIG. 12 illustrates an embodiment of a wave generator having a flexiblelayer placed on an outer wall.

FIG. 13 illustrates an embodiment of a wave generator that includes aflexible layer that can be raised away from the outer wall to define afoil.

FIG. 14 illustrates an embodiment of vortex generators having elongatedmembers with a square cross section.

FIG. 15 illustrates another embodiment of a vortex generator havingsquared members spaced-apart both width-wise and length-wise.

FIG. 16 illustrates an embodiment of vortex generators mounted both on abottom section adjacent to an outer gutter of the basin, and on a lowerportion of an outer gutter wall of the basin.

FIG. 17 illustrates an embodiment of vortex generators having non-linearshapes, such as being angled or curved.

FIG. 18 illustrates an embodiment of a smooth (curved) pool profilewhere the vortex generators meet the side walls or floor.

FIG. 19 illustrates an embodiment of at least a part of the cavity nearthe inner island of the pool being fitted with a series of angled vanes.

FIG. 20 shows an embodiment of a pool having both an inside guttersystem and an outside gutter system between the foil and wave generationmechanism and the outer wall of the basin.

FIG. 21 illustrates an embodiment of a flow redirection gutter system ona sloping beach.

FIG. 22 illustrates an embodiment of implementations of gutters and/orbaffles that can be used as a perforated wall.

FIG. 23 illustrates an example of a time evolution of a resulting wavefrom a moving foil, including an incident wave and reflected wave(s).

FIG. 24 illustrates an embodiment of a gutter having vertical slots inthe gutter wall.

FIG. 25 illustrates an embodiment of a gutter having vertical slots inthe gutter wall and a non-perforated step.

FIG. 26 illustrates an embodiment of a gutter system having porous wallsintegrated with vortex-generating roughness elements.

FIG. 27 illustrates an ocean or open body of water system.

FIG. 28 illustrates a lake, pond, or closed body of water system.

Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This document describes an apparatus, method, and system to generatewaves of a desired surfability. Surfability depends on wave angle, wavespeed, wave slope (i.e. steepness), breaker type, bottom slope anddepth, curvature, refraction and focusing. Much detail is devoted tosolitary waves as they have characteristics that make them particularlyadvantageous for generation by the apparatus, method and systempresented here. As used herein, the term “solitary wave” is used todescribe a shallow water wave, or “surface gravity wave” having a singleprincipal displacement of water above a mean water level. A solitarywave propagates without dispersion. It very closely resembles the typeof wave that produces favorable surf in the ocean. Atheoretically-perfect solitary wave arises from a balance betweendispersion and nonlinearity, such that the wave is able to travel longdistances while preserving its shape and form, without obstruction bycounteracting waves. A wave form of a solitary wave is a function ofdistance x and time t, and can be characterized by the followingequation:

${\eta\left( {x,t} \right)} = {A\sec{h_{0}^{2}\left( {\sqrt{\frac{3A}{4h_{0}^{3}}}\left( {x - {t\sqrt{g\left( {h_{0} + A} \right)}}} \right)} \right)}}$

where A is the maximum amplitude, or height, of the wave above the watersurface, h₀ is the depth of the water, g is the acceleration of gravityand η(x,t) is the height of the water above h₀. The length of a solitarywave, while theoretically infinite, is limited by water surfaceelevation, and can be defined as:

$L = {{\frac{2\pi}{k}{where}k} = \sqrt{\frac{3A}{4h_{0}^{3}}}}$

Pools

The systems, apparatuses and methods described herein use a pool ofwater in which solitary type or other surface gravity waves aregenerated. In some preferred implementations, the pool can be circularor annular, being defined by an outer wall or edge that has a diameterof 200 to 800 feet or more. Alternatively, a round or circular poolhaving a diameter of less than 200 feet can be used, however, a diameterof 450 to 550 feet may be preferred. In one exemplary implementation,the pool can be annular with a center circular island that defines achannel or trough. In this annular configuration, the pool has an outerdiameter of 550 feet and a channel width of at least 50 feet, althoughthe channel can have a width of 150 feet or more, which can yield 30-100feet of rideable wave length.

In another exemplary implementation, the pool can be a contiguous basinsuch as a circular pool without a center island. In the circularconfiguration, the pool can have a bottom that slopes up toward thecenter to a shoal or sill, and may include a deeper trough or lead to ashallow sill or flat surface. In yet other implementations, the pool canbe any closed-loop, curvilinear channel, such as a racetrack shape (i.e.truncated circle), oval, or other rounded shape. In still otherimplementations, the pool can include an open or closed looped linear orcurvilinear channel through which water is flowed (such as a crescentshape or a simple linear canal), and which may or may not use a waterrecapture or recirculation and flow mechanism.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are top and cross-sectional views, respectively, of apool 100 in accordance with an annular implementation. Pool 100 has asubstantially annular shape that is defined by an outer wall 102, aninner wall 104, and a water channel 106 between and defined by the outerwall 102 and the inner wall 104. In annular implementations, the outerwall 102 and inner wall 104 may be circular. The inner wall 104 can be awall that extends above a mean water level 101 of the water channel 106,and can form an island 108 or other type of platform above the meanwater level 101. The inner wall 104 may also be inclined so as to form asloping beach. Alternatively, the inner wall 104 may form a submersedreef or barrier between the water channel 106 and a second pool. Forexample, the second pool can be shallow to receive wash waves resultingfrom waves generated in the water channel 106. Pool 100 can furtherinclude a side 110 which, according to some implementations, can includea track such as a monorail or other rail for receiving a motorizedvehicle. In addition, the vehicle can be attached to at least one wavegenerator, preferably in the form of a movable foil, as will bedescribed further below. In some implementations, outer wall 102, withor without cooperation with the side 110, can host a wave generator inthe form of a flexible wall or rotating wall with built-in foils, aswill also be described further below.

Wave Generator

FIG. 4 illustrates a bottom contour of a pool having a critically-slopedbeach design. The bottom contour of the pool having thecritically-sloped design may be implemented in any number of shapedpools, including pools that are linear, curvilinear, circular, orannular. The bottom contour can include a side wall 200 which can be aninner side wall or an outer side wall. The side wall 200 can have aheight that at least extends higher than a mean water level, and canextend above a maximum amplitude, or height, of a generated wave. Theside wall 200 can be adapted to accommodate a wave generator, such as afoil that is vertically placed on the side wall 200 and moved laterallyalong the side wall 200. The bottom contour can further include a deepregion 202, which in some configurations extends at least long enough toaccommodate the thickness, or height, of the foil. The intersection ofthe side wall 200 and the deep region 202 may also include a slope, stepor other geometrical feature, or a track/rail mechanism thatparticipates in guiding or powering the motion of the foil. A swell canbe produced to have an amplitude up to the same or even greater than thedepth of the deep region 202.

The bottom contour of the pool can further include a slope 204 thatrises upward from the deep region 202. The slope 204 can range in anglefrom 1 to 16 degrees, and also from 5 to 10 degrees. The slope 204 canbe linear or curved, and may include indentions, undulations, or othergeometrical features. The bottom contour can further include a shoal 206or sill. The surface from a point on the slope 204 and the shoal 206 canprovide the primary break zone for a generated wave. Wave setup in thebreak zone can change the mean water level. The shoal 206 can beflattened or curved, and can transition into a flattened shallow planarregion 208, a shallow trench 210, or a deep trench 212, or anyalternating combination thereof. The basin side opposite the wavegenerator ultimately ends in a sloping beach.

The shoal 206 can also be an extension of the slope 204 and terminatedirectly into a beach. The beach may be real or artificial. The beachmay incorporate water evacuation systems which can include gratesthrough which the water can pass down into. The water evacuation systemsmay be linked to the general water recirculation and/or filteringsystems, any may incorporate more advanced flow redirection features.The beach may also incorporate wave damping baffles that help tominimize the reflection of the waves and reduce along shore transportand currents.

The bottom contour can be formed of a rigid material and can be overlaidby a synthetic coating. In some implementations, the bottom may becovered with sections of softer more flexible materials, for example afoam reef or covering may be introduced that would be more forgivingduring wipeouts. For example, the coating can be thicker at the shoal206 or within the break zone. The coating can be formed of a layer thatis less rigid than the rigid material used for the bottom contour, andmay even be shock dampening. The slope 204, shoal 206 and/or otherregions of the bottom contour can be formed by one or more removableinserts. Further, any part of the bottom contour may be dynamicallyreconfigurable and adjustable, to change the general shape and geometryof the bottom contour. For example, the bottom contour may be changedon-the-fly, such as with the assistance of motorized mechanics,inflatable bladders, simple manual exchange, or other similar dynamicshaping mechanisms. In addition, removable inserts or modules can beconnected with a solid floor making up a part of the pool, including thebottom contour. The inserts or modules can be uniform about the circle,or variable for creating recurring reefs defined by undulations in theslope 204 or shoal 206. In this way particular shaped modules can beintroduced at specific locations to create a section with a desirablesurf break.

FIG. 5 illustrates a pool 300 in an annular configuration, and a wavegenerator 302 on an inner wall 304 of the pool 300. The wave generator302 can be a foil arranged vertically along the inner wall 304, andmoved in the direction 303 indicated to generate a wave W. FIG. 6illustrates an example section of a pool 400 in an annular configurationhaving a wave generator 402 arranged vertically along an outer wall 404.The wave generator 402 can be moved in the direction 403 indicated, togenerate a wave W as shown. In some implementations, the outer wall 404placement of the wave generator 402 can enable improved focusing andlarger waves than an inner wall placement. Additionally, in someimplementations, inner wall placement can enable reduced wave speed andimproved surfability. The wave generators 302 and 402 can be moved by apowered vehicle or other mechanism that is generally kept dry and awayfrom the water, such as on a rail or other track, part of which may besubmerged. In some implementations the entire rail can rotate, allowingfor the possibility of keeping the drive motors in the non-rotatingframe.

The wave generators may also be configured to run in the center of thechannel in which case there would be beaches on both the inner and outerwalls and the track/rail mechanism would be supported either from anoverhead structure or by direct attachment to the floor of the pool.

Foils

Some implementations of the wave pools described herein can use one ormore foils for generating waves of a desired surfability. The foils canbe shaped for generating waves in supercritical flow, i.e. the foilsmove faster than the speed of the generated waves. This can allow forsignificant peel angle as the wave is inclined with the radius. Thespeed of a wave in shallow water (when the water depth is comparable tothe wave length) can be represented by V_(W):

V _(W)=√{square root over (g(h _(o) +A))}

where g is the force of gravity, and h_(o) is the depth of the water andA in the wave amplitude. Criticality can be represented by the Froudenumber (Fi), in which a number greater than 1 is supercritical, and anumber less than 1 is subcritical:

Fr=V _(F) /V _(W), where V _(F) is the velocity of the foil relative tothe water

The foils can be adapted to propagate the wave away from a leadingportion of the foil as the water and foil move relative to each other.This movement may be able to achieve the most direct transfer ofmechanical energy to the wave. In this manner, ideal swells can beformed immediately adjacent to the leading portion of the foil. Thefoils can be optimized for generating the largest possible swell heightfor a given water depth. However, some foils can be configured togenerate smaller swells.

In order to achieve the best energy transfer from the foil to the waveand to ensure that the generated swell is clean and relatively solitary,the foils can be designed to impart a motion to the water that is closeto a solution of a known wave equation. In this way it may not benecessary for the wave to have to form from a somewhat arbitrarydisturbance as is done with some other wave generation systems. Theproposed procedure can rely on matching the displacement imparted by thefoil at each location to the natural (theoretical) displacement field ofthe wave. For a fixed location through which the foil will pass P, thedirection normal to the foil can be x and the thickness of the part ofthe foil currently at P can be X(t).

The rate of change of X at the point P may be matched with the depthaveraged velocity of the wave ū. This can be shown expressed in equation(1).

$\begin{matrix}{\frac{dX}{dt} = {\overset{\_}{u}\left( {X,t} \right)}} & (1)\end{matrix}$

Applying the change of variable from (x,t) to (θ=ct−X,t) where c is thephase speed of the wave.

$\begin{matrix}{\frac{dX}{d\theta} = \frac{\overset{\_}{u}\left( {\theta(X)} \right)}{c - {\overset{\_}{u}\left( {\theta(X)} \right)}}} & (2)\end{matrix}$

In equation (2) the depth averaged velocity of the wave ū can be givenby any of a number of different theories. For the case of solitarywaves, which generally take the form of equation 3 and 4 below, severalexamples can be provided. This technique of foil design may also applyto any other form of surface gravity wave for which there is a known,computed, measured or approximated solution.

$\begin{matrix}{{\eta(\theta)} = {A\sec{h^{2}\left( {{\beta\theta}/2} \right)}}} & (3)\end{matrix}$ $\begin{matrix}{{\overset{\_}{u}(\theta)} = \frac{c{\eta(\theta)}}{h_{o} + {\eta(\theta)}}} & (4)\end{matrix}$

Here η(θ) is the free surface elevation from rest, A is the solitarywave amplitude, h_(o) is the mean water depth, β is the outskirts decaycoefficient, c is the phase speed, and ū(θ) is the depth averagedhorizontal velocity. C and β can differ for different solitary waves.

Combining equations (2) and (3) with (4) can give the rate of change ofthe foil thickness in time at a fixed position (5), and can be relatedto the foil shape X(Y), through the foil velocity V_(F), by substitutingt=Y/V_(F)

$\begin{matrix}{{X(t)} = {\frac{2A}{h_{0}\beta}{\tanh\left\lbrack {{\beta\left( {{ct} - {X(t)}} \right)}/2} \right\rbrack}}} & (5)\end{matrix}$

A maximum thickness of foil can be given from (5) as:

$T_{F} = \frac{4A}{h_{0}\beta}$

The length of the active section of the foil can then be approximatedas:

$L_{F} = {\frac{4}{\beta c}\left( {\tanh^{- 1}\left( {\text{.99} + \frac{A}{h_{o}}} \right)} \right.}$

Values for C and β corresponding to the solitary wave of Rayleigh canbe:

$\frac{\beta_{R}}{2} = {{\sqrt{\frac{3A}{4{h_{o}^{2}\left( {A + h_{o}} \right)}}}{and}c_{R}} = \sqrt{g\left( {A + h_{o}} \right.}}$

In this example for small displacements after linearization the foilshape X(Y), can be approximated as.

${X_{R}(Y)} = {\frac{2A}{h_{o}\beta_{R}}\frac{h_{o}{\tanh\left( {\beta_{R}c_{R}Y/2V_{F}} \right)}}{h_{o} + {A\left\lbrack {1 - {\tanh^{2}\left( {\beta_{R}c_{R}Y/2V_{F}} \right)}} \right\rbrack}}}$

This solution can also be approximated with a hyperbolic tangentfunction. These foil shapes, as described by at least some of themathematical functions, would have extremely thin leading edges whichwould be structurally unstable. The actual leading edges would betruncated at a suitable thickness typically of 3-12 inches, and roundedto provide a more rigid leading edge. The rounding may be symmetrical ornot and in some implementations may loosely follow the shape of anellipse.

As shown in an exemplary configuration in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the foils 500are three-dimensional, curvilinear shaped geometries having a leadingsurface 502, or “active section X(Y),” that generates a wave, and atrailing surface 504 that operates as a flow recovery to avoidseparation of the flow and to decrease the drag of the foil 500 forimproved energy efficiency. The foil 500 is shown by way of example asconfigured for towing in a linear canal and hence has a flat surfacewhich would be adjacent to the vertical wall of the canal. The foil 500can be shaped to get most of the energy into the primary, solitary wavemode, and minimize energy into oscillatory trailing waves. As such, thefoil 500 can promote a quiescent environment for a following wavegenerator and foil, if any. Each foil 500 may contain internal actuatorsthat allow its shape to morph to produce different waves, and/or canarticulate so as to account for changes in curvature of the outer wallin non-circular or non-linear pools. In some implementations themorphing of the foil 500 can allow for the reversal of the mechanism togenerate waves by translating the foil 500 in the opposite direction.The morphing can be accomplished by a series of linear actuators or byfitting several vertical eccentric rollers 552 (as shown in FIGS. 8A-8C)under the skin of the wave generating face of the foil 500. A sketch ofa foil 500 including an eccentric roller 552 is shown in FIG. 8A. Theskin of the wave generating face of the foil 500 is shown in FIG. 8A asbeing transparent for purposes of showing the eccentric roller 552. Inaddition, a foil 500 with several morphing rollers 552 is shown in FIG.8B, 8C. Similar to FIG. 8A, the skin of the wave generating face of thefoil 500 is shown in FIG. 8C as being transparent for purposes ofshowing the several morphing rollers 552. Rollers 552 can also be addedin the location of the foil 500 having either the maximum thickness orthe recovery. In some implementations of the foil 500, the flexiblelayer may be formed as a relatively rigid sheet that slides horizontallyas the foil changes shape. In addition, some implementations may includea specific fixture consisting of a slotted grove that can take up theslack in the relatively rigid sheet through spring or hydraulic tensiondevices that stretch the relatively rigid sheet along the length of thefoil 500. The ability to morph the shape of the foil 500 can allow forlarge variation in the size and shape of the generated swells, and allowfor optimization of the foil 500 shape to generate the desired swellshape. This fine optimization can be necessary due to other viscousfluid mechanical phenomenon at play in the boundary layer that developover the surface of the foil 500. The attached boundary layer can havethe effect of slightly changing the effective shape of the hydrofoil. Inother implementations there may be specific surface roughness or “aboundary layer trip” installed on the surface of the hydrofoil. Inparticular, the physical length of the hydrofoils may be reduced ifsufficient turbulence is generated on the recovery section to ensurethere is no flow separation, and the strongly turbulent boundary layerwill not be separated so easily in an adverse pressure gradient.

In some implementations, the foils 500 are shaped and formed to aspecific geometry based on a transformation into a function of spacefrom an analogy to an equation as a function of time. Hyperbolic tangentfunctions that mathematically define the stroke of a piston as afunction of time, such that the piston pushes a wave plate to create ashallow water wave that propagates away from the wave plate. Thesehyperbolic tangent functions consider the position of the wave platerelative to the position of the generated wave in a long wave generationmodel, and produce an acceptable profile for both solitary and cnoidalwaves. These techniques can be used to generate any propagating surfacegravity wave accounting for the propagation of the wave away from thegenerator during generation (i.e. adapt to how the wave is changingduring generation). Compensation for movement of the generator over timeand the specific shape of the recovery section can assist in removingtrailing oscillatory waves, which can provide a more compact andefficient generation process. Other types of waves to those discussedhere can be defined.

The thickness of the foil can be related to the amplitude (height) ofthe wave and the depth of the water. Accordingly, for a known depth anda desired amplitude A, it can be determined that a thickness of thefoil, F_(T), can be given approximately by:

For a Rayleigh solitary wave:

$F_{T} = {4\sqrt{\frac{A\left( {A + h_{o}} \right)}{3}}}$

For a Boussenesq solitary wave:

$F_{T} = {4\sqrt{\frac{Ah_{o}}{3}}}$

For shallow water, second order solitary wave:

$F_{T} = {4\sqrt{\frac{A\left( {A + h_{o}} \right)}{3}}\left( {1 + \frac{A}{h_{o}}} \right)}$

FIG. 9 shows a cross-sectional geometry of a foil 600. As athree-dimensional object, the foil 600 can generate a wave having apropagation velocity and vector V_(W), based on the speed and vector ofthe foil V_(F). As the foil moves in the direction shown, and dependenton its speed, the wave will propagate out at a peel angle α, given bysin α=Fr⁻¹, so for a given water depth and wave height the peel anglecan be determined by the speed of the foil, with larger speedscorresponding to smaller peel angles. The smaller the peel angle, thelonger the length of the wave crest will be across the pool.

FIG. 10 illustrates a wave generator 700 in which a rotating inner wall702 is positioned within a fixed outer wall 706. The rotating inner wall702 can be equipped with one or more fixed foils 704 that can be thesame size and shape as the foils described above. These embedded foils704 may have internal actuators 708 which can assist in allowing theembedded foils 704 to morph and change shape, such as according to avariety of the cross-sectional shapes described above. The change incross-sectional shapes can accommodate “sweet spots” for differentspeeds and water depths. These actuators can function is a way similarto the morphing eccentric rollers shown in FIG. 8 .

FIG. 11 illustrates a wave generator 800 in which a flexible layer 802is placed along an outer wall 804, and the outer wall 804 can include anumber of linear actuators 806 arranged around at least a majority ofthe length or circumference of the outer wall 804. In addition, thelinear actuators 806 can also be attached to the flexible layer 802. Theflexible layer 802 can be formed out of any number of flexiblematerials, including rubber or materials similar to rubber. The linearactuators 806 can be mechanical or pneumatic actuators, or other devicesthat have at least a radial expansion and retraction direction, such asa series of vertically aligned eccentric rollers. The linear actuators806 can be actuated in order to form a moving shape in the flexiblelayer 802 that approximates the shape of the foils as described above.The foil shape can propagate along the outer wall 804 or flexible layer802 at a velocity V_(F).

FIG. 12 illustrates an implementation of a wave generator 900 includinga flexible layer 902 positioned along an outer wall 904. The gapin-between the flexible layer 902 and the outer wall 904 can define amoving foil 906, similar to as described above, and can includes one ormore rollers 908 in tracks that can connect to both the outer wall 904and flexible layer 902. The rollers 908 in tracks can allow the foil 906formed in the gap to travel smoothly in a direction along the outer wall904. This moving foil 906 can produce a radial motion of the flexiblelayer 902 that at least closely approximates the shapes of one or morefoils described above.

FIG. 13 illustrates a wave generator 1000 that includes a flexible layer1002 that can be raised away from the outer wall 1004 to define a foil1006. The foil 1006 can include internal actuators or eccentric rollers1010 that allow it to morph the shape of the foil 1006, which may changedepending on the direction of movement along the outer wall 1004. Thedefined foil 1006 can move via rollers 1008 on tracks, such as thosedescribed above. Accordingly, the flexible layer 1002 can be shaped toapproximate the foils described above while shielding actuators androllers 1008 on tracks from water. This configuration may alsodiminishing the risk of a separate moving foil in which body parts canbe caught.

Virtual Bottom

In some implementations, a system of jets positioned near the bottom ofthe pool on the slope can simulate the water being shallower than itactually is which can allow the wave to break in deeper water than whatcould otherwise be achieved. These jets may be positional so as togenerate both mean flow and turbulence at a required level. Thedistribution of these jets may change both radially and in the directionfrom the outer wall towards the beach with more jets on the beach. Theremay also be azimuthal variation in the nature and quantity of the jets.This jet system may be incorporated with both the filtering system andthe wave system to provide mean flow or lazy river mitigation. Roughnesselements may be added to the bottom of the pool to promote thegeneration of turbulence that may promote changes in the form of thebreaking wave. The distribution and size of the roughness elements canbe a function of both radius and azimuth. The roughness elements maytake the form of classical and novel vortex generators and are describedbelow.

Mean Flow

A moving foil or set of foils within a pool, particularly a circularbasin as described above, will eventually generate a mean flow or “lazyriver” effect, where water in the pool will develop a slight current inthe direction of the one or more moving foils.

In other implementations, a pool can include a system to provide orcounter a mean flow or circulation. The system may include a number offlow jets through which water is pumped to counter or mitigate any “lazyriver” flow created by the moving foils, and/or help to change the shapeof the breaking wave. The mean circulation may have vertical orhorizontal variability. Other mean flow systems may be used, such as acounter-rotational opposing side, bottom or other mechanism.

Passive “Lazy River” Flow Control

FIGS. 14-16 illustrate various passive mechanisms that can be added toselect surfaces of the pool, particularly in the deep area under andbeside the foil, as turbulence-generating obstacles to the mean flow ofazimuthal and radial currents which can mitigate the mean flow inducedby the moving foils.

In some implementations, as shown in FIG. 14 , a number of vortexgenerators 1302 are provided to a surface 1304 of a pool, such as on abottom of the pool or a side wall of the basin. The vortex generators1302 can be placed in areas behind a safety fence at an outer side ofthe pool proximate the moving foils, such as where surfers will notlikely come into contact with them. Alternatively or in addition, vortexgenerators 1302 can be placed in the basin surface of the pool wheresurfing takes place, especially if the vortex generators 1302 are partof a safety feature, such as being made out of a soft material such asfoam to protect against impact to the surface by a surfer. The vortexgenerators 1302 can be positioned and spaced apart incrementally on thesurface 1304, such as a floor of the basin of the pool, as shown inFIGS. 14 and 15 , and/or can be positioned on the side wall of the pool,as shown in FIG. 16 .

FIG. 14 illustrates an implementation of vortex generators 1302 havingelongated members with a square cross section. Additionally, the vortexgenerators can be spaced-apart at an increment, such as a space of 8times the cross-sectional width k of each vortex generator 1302 (p_(x)=8k). FIG. 15 illustrates another implementation of a vortex generator1306 having squared members spaced-apart both width-wise (i.e., 8 timesthe cross-sectional width k), and length-wise (i.e. every othercross-sectional length, p_(z)=2 k). FIG. 16 illustrates vortexgenerators 1302 mounted both on a bottom section adjacent to an outergutter 1310 of the basin, and on a lower portion of an outer gutter wall1312 of the basin such generators may also be implemented on the actualouter wall if there is no gutter, or when the gutter system does notextend to the full depth . . . . Rectangular members may also be used inwhich case the spacing would be approximately 8 times the azimuthalwidth of the members. As illustrated in FIG. 17 , vortex generators 1330can also have non-linear shapes, such as being angled or curved. In thecase of angled vortex generators, they may be positioned with theirpoint toward either the upstream or downstream directions of themovement of the foils and the resultant mean flow.

The interactions between the mean flow with the vortex generators canincrease the Reynolds stresses and overall turbulence intensity in thevicinity of the hydrofoil path which can provide for thicker boundarylayers in the water. These enhanced boundary layers can dissipatesubstantially more energy than an equivalent-sized smooth surface.Additionally, the transport of momentum by turbulent diffusion,specifically associated with the larger vortices, can allow the basinfloor or wall areas covered with the vortex generators to provide strongsinks for both azimuthal and radial momentum. In effect these elementscan allow the fluid within the basin to better transmit a torque to thebasin itself.

While each vortex generator can have a squared cross section, as shownin FIGS. 14, 15, 16 and 17 , other cross-sectional shapes can also beused, such as rounded, rectangular, or other prisms or three dimensionalshapes. In some preferred implementations, each vortex generator hascross-sectional dimensions of approximately 1 foot square, although sidedimensions of less than 1 foot or greater than 1 foot can also be used.The vortex generators can be preferably spaced apart 6-12 ft. Forexample, if used on a bottom surface of the pool, the vortex generatorscan be spaced apart along radial lines, at an average azimuthal spacingof 6 to 12 feet. If positioned on a vertical sidewall of the pool, thevortex generators can be spaced apart uniformly. Still in othervariations, spacing of vortex generators can be varied around the poolso as to achieve different effects.

In order to facilitate cleaning of the vortex generators and pool, andto avoid the collection of debris in the corners in and around thevortex generators, some implementations may opt for smooth (curved) poolprofiles 1500 where the vortex generators meet the side walls or floor,as shown by way of example in FIG. 18 .

In some implementations, the vortex generators can be formed out of arigid or solid material and can be permanently affixed to the pool. Forexample, the vortex generators may be made of concrete reinforced withrebar and integrated into the basin structure. In other implementations,the vortex generators may be modular and attached with bolts, orconstructed of plastic, carbon fiber, or other less rigid or solidmaterial. These modular vortex generators can also allow for customconfiguration of variable spacing, sizes and orientation. For instance,various combinations and arrangements of fixed and modular vortexgenerators may be employed.

Gutter System to Counter Azimuthal Currents (Vaned Cavity Gutters)

The previously discussed systems, such as vortex generators, roughnessenhancement and other protrusions or flaps, can be configured to reducelazy river flows by increasing turbulent dissipation within the flow.Additionally, these systems can act as a sink or inhibitor for both themean azimuthal/longitudinal momentum and also the alternating currentsin the radial/transverse and vertical directions. Alternatively, oradditionally, azimuthal/longitudinal flow can be redirected by a guttersystem employed at an inner beach area of the circular, crescent shapedor linear basin (“inside gutter system”), at an outer wall of the basin(“outer gutter system”), or both. The basic principal of these flowredirection gutters can be to capture the kinetic energy of the flow aspotential energy by running it up a slope. The fluid can then bereturned to the basin with a different velocity vector direction to thatwith which it arrived. This redirection can be accomplished with asystem of vanes, but other means such as tubes or channels can also beimplemented.

In some implementations, the gutter system includes a sloped flooroverlaid by a water-permeable, perforated grate, typically of 25-40%open area. In this case for an inside (sloped beach) gutter system, theslope of the grating can be greater than the slope of the angled floorsor beach, forming a cavity between the sloped floor of the beach and themore steeply sloped grating that extends around the center island in thebasin. For a 500 ft diameter circular wave pool with wave generationaround the outer perimeter, the cavity may extend 20-40 ft away from theisland with the bottom floor being sloped at approximately 5-9 degreesand the perforated gratings forming the top cover of the cavity beingsloped at approximately 10-20 degrees. The slopes may be chosendifferently for smaller or larger pools, with larger pools requiringless steep slopes and smaller pools requiring a somewhat steeper slope.

This cavity alone can absorb wave energy and reduce reflected wavesgenerated from the movement of the foil around the basin. Additionally,the cavity can reduce the azimuthal currents near the sloped beachthrough simple dissipative mechanisms as water entering through thegratings may encounter enhanced turbulence. For a circular wave poolimplementation, the importance of reducing the currents near the centralisland cannot be overstated. When there are significant currentsparallel to the shore in the direction that the wave is breaking thecurrents can allow the wave to “overtake itself” requiring the wavegenerating mechanism to move at a higher speed if the form of the wavebarrel is to be preserved. It is these currents that can tend to limitthe minimum operational speed of the wave, whether it is generated by ahydrofoil type system or some other type of wave generator. This minimumoperational speed where the wave will no longer barrel but insteadpresents itself as a foamy crest of white water is associated with acondition that has been dubbed “foam-balling”.

In other implementations, and as illustrated in FIG. 19 , at least apart of the cavity near the inner island 1402 can be fitted with aseries of angled vanes 1404. The angled vanes 1404 can be formed out ofa solid material, such as concrete, or any number of a variety of solidmaterials. The angled vanes 1404 can be overlaid by a water-permeableperforated grate 1406. The perforated grate 1406 is shown in FIG. 19 asbeing transparent for purposes of showing the angled vanes 1404. Inoperation, an incoming wave can approach the cavity at a slight angle,enter through the grate 1406 and run up each angled vane 1404 under thegrate 1406. Upon the wave run-up reaching a maximum height in thechannel formed by the angled vane 1404, stored potential energy can thenbe returned to its kinetic form as the wave runs back down in a confinedset of angled vanes 1404. The wave then exits the cavity through thegrate with a component of azimuthal velocity different and largelyopposite to that with which it entered. In this manner, a completelypassive mechanism is provided for limiting or reversingazimuthal/cross-shore currents near the island.

In some implementations, the gutter system can provide complete ornear-complete current reversal proximate the gutter. The importance ofthese vaned cavity gutter systems in their ability to mitigate thedetrimental effects of foam-balling on the tube of the wave where asurfer may be riding is related to the extent to which their effects canbe propagated away from the island. For this reason it is important thatthe vanes that redirect the flow be angled so as to inject theredirected flow into the interior of the basin away from the island.Typical configurations call for these vanes be angled at 45-70 degreesfrom the radius around a vertical axis. The exact angle will dependsomewhat on the specific bathimetry of the basin, but in general thereis a tradeoff where more steeply angled vanes will perform better atredirecting the currents, and less steeply angled vanes will bettertransfer the redirected fluid to the interior of the basin, slowing thewave at that location.

The vanes are angled both relative to a radius from the inner island1402, as well as to the horizontal forming a triangle to accommodate theslope of the grating over the vanes. FIG. 20 shows both an inside guttersystem 1600 (note that in this diagram the floor under the grating hasno apparent slope, but there may be slope in most implementations), andan outside gutter system 1620 between the foil 1610 and wave generationmechanism and the outer wall of the basin 1630. The outer gutter 1620,which is shown to include a horizontal plate 1640 that inhibits verticalmovement of the water level from pressure changes when the foil moves,can be constructed in a similar way to the inner gutter described above.Such an outer gutter 1620 can incorporate a series of sloping platesbetween the outer wall and the perforated wall. These plates would beinclined from the horizontal both in the radial and azimuthal sense. Inthis way fluid entering the gutters would be redirected and exit with avelocity directed inward and counter to the prevailing current.

A further implementation of the flow redirection gutter system includesallowing the water that enters between any two vanes 1700 to run up theslope as described above. Upon approaching the highest point of therun-up, some of the flow is redirected to the adjacent gutter through asloped opening 1720. In this way the flow is ratcheted around the beachfurther enhancing the cross shore transport. FIG. 21 illustrates thisimplemented on a sloping beach with the grating cover removed.

Wave Absorbing and Phase Cancellation Gutters

In accordance some implementations of a wave pool using an annularbasin, both the exterior and interior boundaries of the annular basincan be fitted with gutters and/or baffles that are configured to limitboth the reflection of any incident waves that may be generated by thepassage of a wave generating hydrofoil, and also reduce the persistenceof the general random chop within the basin. For example, the guttersand/or baffles can be configured to control particular seiching modes,or other waves of known wavelength that are present within the basin. Asillustrated in FIG. 22 , some implementations of the gutters and/orbaffles 1500 can use a perforated wall 1506, having preferably 30%-60%open area, and placed parallel to or inclined to, the basin's watercontainment walls 1504 or beaches. The distance between the perforatedwall 1506 and the main wall 1504 (b in FIG. 22 ) can be chosen so as tobest dissipate the incident or chop waves of concern.

In some implementations, a gutter 1500 can include a simple verticalporous plate of approximately 20% to 50% open area, and preferably about33% open area which can form a cavity between the outer wall and thehydrofoil path. The cavity width can be tuned for optimal phasecancellation, as described in further detail below.

In some implementations, the gutters are provided in the basin and areadapted for limiting the vertical displacements and reflexted energyassociated with any trailing, or recovery, waves generated by a movingfoil or other wave generating device. This may involve the use of ahorizontal splitter plate or step 1508 set at a height h1 that istypically 0.2 h-0.4 h. In the case of a step the volume under thehorizontal plate is filled, while for a splitter plate this volume isleft open, in another variation the step replaces the horizontalsplitter plate in the form of a vertical solid wall that extends fromthe bottom up to the height typically associated with the horizontalsplitter plate. These gutters can also be integrated with azimuthal flowcontrol and redirection systems, as described in the above section.

FIG. 23 illustrates a time evolution of a resulting wave from a movingfoil, including an incident wave and reflected wave(s). The wavelengthof the wave incident on the gutter can be L. In some implementations, itis desirable to optimize the reflection percentage of the resulting wavefrom the porous wall of the gutter, such that, in rough approximation:

porous wall at a node (L/4)=>0%(*)reflection, 100%(*)transmission.

porous wall at a max (L/2)=>100% reflection, 0% transmission.

If there were no perforated wall, the node may occur at a distance ofL/4 from the back wall of the basin, and the largest energy loss mayalso occur at this distance. However, due to the inertial resistance atthe porous wall, a phase change can occur inside the gap which can slowthe waves. This makes the distance for maximum energy loss to occursmaller than L/4. As can be seen in FIG. 23 , the width of the guttercan be tuned based on the size and wavelengths of incident waves thatthe gutter is configured to mitigate. The gutters can be formed of oneor more parallel porous plates, and can be further combined with ahorizontal splitter plate and/or a vertical step as described furtherbelow.

A relationship between the wavelength of the wave incident on the gutter(L) and that of the wave inside the gutter cavity (L1) can be such thatL>L1. This wavelength reduction can be due to dispersion and can allowfor the use of smaller width gutters that would otherwise be required.

Note that there can be a similar effect when a splitter plate is usedand the condition for minimum reflection can occur at a ratio ofapproximately b/L, which can be less than a corresponding ratio for awave chamber without the splitter plate. This can be due to the waves inthe gutter becoming shorter over the submerged plate and hence slowingdown.

Additional implementations of a gutter 2000 are shown, for example, inFIGS. 24 and 25 , which illustrate outer gutters 2100 for an annularbasin. This outer gutter 2100 can include vertical slots 2300 in agutter wall 2200 parallel to the main wall 2400 to form a porous cavity.The slotted wall could also take the form of an array of verticalcylinders that could have additional structural function, such assupporting a deck above the basin. The porosity ratios are preferablysimilar to that of a similar geometry using porous plate or gratings,i.e. between 30-50% open area.

Note a non-perforated step 2500 that differentiates the gutter shown inFIG. 24 from the gutter shown in FIG. 25 . The step is one variant that,as with the splitter plate, can be combined with any of the variousimplementations. The step 2500 can function in a way similar to thesplitter plate but can have the added advantage of being structurallymore robust.

Horizontal and vertical slots or piles have different properties.Vertical slots or piles, when adequately spaced and sized, have aproperty that when the waves impact the vertical slots or pilesobliquely, the incident and reflected paths can be different. Forhorizontally aligned piles or slots, obliqueness can have no effect andthe submersion of the slot or pile closer to the still water level canbe of importance as it can allow smaller scale chop or waves to enterexit the gutter area. Additionally, small variations in the water levelcan be used to adjust the relative depth of the horizontal pile or slot.

The porous walls for some gutter systems may also be integrated withvortex-generating roughness elements, such as described above, these canbe seen on the lower wall of FIG. 26. As shown in FIG. 26 by way ofexample, some implementations can use vertical slots or bars 2700 toform the porous wall 2800. In addition, the slots or bars 2700 can bestaggered such that alternative slots or bars protrude a differentdistances radially from the basin wall. In at least some instances it isnot necessary that the slots or bars alternate in their protrusion; forexample, in some implementations, every seventh or eighth slot or barcan protrude from a plane formed by the others. In some implementationsthe protrusion distance of the one or more slots or bars can be 8-24inches and the distance between the protruding slots or bars can be50-180 inches.

In some implementations consistent with the description herein, andconsistent with the applications incorporated by reference herein, awave generator and wave generation mechanism can be deployed in an openbody of water such as an ocean, lake, river, pond, or the like. In suchimplementations, the wave generator and wave generation mechanism can bebuilt in as large a scale as desired, yet can also accommodate aflexible integration and implementation.

FIG. 27 illustrates an implementation of a wave generator 3002 for anopen body of water, and having a wave generation mechanism 3004 that ismovable along a track 3006 by one or more moving mechanisms 3008. Thetrack 3006 can be positioned and installed within a deep region of thebody of water, or positioned and installed along an edge of the body ofwater, such as a reef, berm, beach, wall or jetty, or the like. The wavegeneration mechanism 3004 includes a foil, as described herein, that isconfigured to generate a substantially solitary wave in a direction thatis substantially laterally to a direction of movement of the foil andtoward a beach 3010, as described above.

In some implementations, a wave generation system utilizing an open bodyof water such as the ocean can include one or more artificial or naturalreefs 3012. The reefs 3012 can be formed of any material, and can becompletely or partially submerged. The reef 3012 can be an elongatedstructure, or can comprise multiple sections placed together to form anelongated reef 3012. In some implementations, one or more reefs 3012 canbe formed of a pliable material that is cushioning to a surfer or rider,but which allows the wave resulting from the foil to crest and breakover or near the reef 3012. In other implementations, the body of waterincludes a sloping beach, which slopes upward from a deep region of thebody of water proximate the wave generation mechanism 3004 and toward ashallow region of the body of water.

The foil or hydrofoil is described above, and can be dynamicallyadjustable. The track 3006 can include one or more rails or pathwaysalong which the wave generation mechanism 3004 traverses. The track 3006can be formed to be parallel to the beach 3010 and/or reef 3012, or canbe curved or provided with multiple curves. In yet some implementations,the track can be dynamically adjustable to create one of any number ofcurved or straight pathways for the wave generation mechanism 3004.

In some alternative implementations, the track 3006 can be providedsubstantially normally or perpendicularly to the beach 3010 and/or reef3012. In these implementations, the wave generation mechanism 3004 caninclude one or two (or more) foils to provide solitary waves on eitherside of the track 3006. These implementations are suitable for anelongated or narrow bay, an elongated lake or lagoon, or the like. Suchinstallation need not be symmetrical, and any number of artificial reefscan be provided to the body of water to cooperate with the wavegeneration mechanism to configure the wave and its speed, shape, etc.

In some implementations, the track 3006 is supported above a surface ofthe water (i.e. a height that exceeds a surface of the water at itshighest anticipated tide) by a series of pylons that are spaced apart.The pylons may or may not be coupled by a wall or screen, which canserve to keep out or dampen normal ocean waves, swells, turbulence, orchop, or otherwise protect the area of water between the track and thereefs 3012 and/or the beach 3010. In some cases, a movable or adjustablewall may be installed along the track 3006, which wall can be configuredto open or shut the wave area from the open water beyond the track 3006

The moving mechanisms 3008 can include motors, pulleys, cables, or thelike. In some implementations, the wave generation mechanism 3004 can becoupled with, or integrated with, a moving mechanism to move the wavegeneration mechanism 3004 along the track 3006.

The reef 3012 may be parallel with the track 3006, or can havedimensions and spacing that vary along the distance of the track 3006,which can introduce variability in the wave generated by the wavegeneration mechanism 3004. The beach 3010 can be a regular beach, or caninclude a man-made berm, jetty or the like.

FIG. 28 illustrates a wave generator implemented in a more closed bodyof water 3102 such as a lake, pond, river, free-form pool, or the like.The body of water 3102 can have any shape. The wave generator caninclude a wave generation mechanism 3104, which is movable along a track3106 between two termini. The body of water 3102 can have a bottomsurface that forms a beach or a shoal, or may include one or moreartificial reefs 3112 that are configured to manipulate wave energy fromthe wave generation mechanism to form surfable waves of any desiredsize, shape, speed, etc.

The wave generation mechanism 3104 can include opposing foils that areconnected together. The wave generation mechanism 3104 can bebi-directional, i.e. moved between each terminus. The bi-directionalitycan include “flipping” or turning the wave generation mechanism and/orfoils physically to reverse their orientation. In other implementations,the foils can be dynamically changed to change their shape, orientationor configuration, such that a leading edge of the foil becomes atrailing edge, and vice-versa. In yet other implementations, the foilscan be dynamically changed while they are moved through water, tointroduce variability in the wave produced, such as a sudden peak ortemporary flattening out of the wave.

Although a few embodiments have been described in detail above, othermodifications are possible. Other embodiments may be within the scope ofthe following claims.

What is claimed:
 1. A wave park comprising: a body of water; a trackpositioned in the body of water; and at least one foil coupled to movealong the track, the at least one foil being at least partiallysubmerged in the body of water, the at least one foil having acurvilinear cross-sectional geometry that includes a leading surfacethat is concave about a vertical axis to provide drag to generate aprimary wave laterally in water of the body of water that contacts theleading surface of the foil, and a trailing surface that narrows from amaximum width of the foil adjacent the leading surface to a point at anend of the foil, the trailing surface to decrease the drag of the foiland to minimize oscillatory waves that trail the primary wave from thewater moving past the leading surface of the foil.
 2. The wave park inaccordance with claim 1, wherein the body of water further comprises adeep region, and wherein the track is arranged proximate the deep regionof the body of water.
 3. The wave park in accordance with claim 1,wherein the body of water further comprises a bottom having a contourthat slopes upward from the deep region toward a sill.
 4. The wave parkin accordance with claim 3, wherein the sill is formed by an elongatedreef that is formed on the bottom of the body of water.
 5. The wave parkin accordance with claim 1, further comprising at least one vehiclecoupled with the at least one foil and positioned on the track, the atleast one vehicle moving the at least one foil along the track.
 6. Thewave park in accordance with claim 1, wherein the track is linear. 7.The wave park in accordance with claim 1, wherein the track is curved.8. A wave park comprising: a body of water; a track positioned in thebody of water; and two or more foils coupled to move along at least aportion of a length of the track, each of the two or more foils being atleast partially submerged in the body of water, each foil having acurvilinear cross-sectional geometry that includes a leading surfacethat is concave about a vertical axis to provide drag to generate aprimary wave laterally in water of the body of water that contacts theleading surface of the foil, and a trailing surface that narrows from amaximum width of the foil adjacent the leading surface to a point at anend of the foil, the trailing surface to decrease the drag of the foiland to minimize oscillatory waves that trail the primary wave from thewater moving past the leading surface of the foil.
 9. The wave park inaccordance with claim 8, wherein the body of water further comprises adeep region, and wherein the track is arranged proximate the deep regionof the body of water.
 10. The wave park in accordance with claim 8,wherein the body of water further comprises a bottom having a contourthat slopes upward from the deep region toward at least one sill. 11.The wave park in accordance with claim 10, wherein the sill is formed byan elongated reef that is formed on the bottom of the body of water. 12.The wave park in accordance with claim 8, further comprising at leastone vehicle coupled with at least one foil of the two or more foils andpositioned on the track, the at least one vehicle moving the at leastone foil along the track.
 13. The wave park in accordance with claim 1,wherein the track is linear.
 14. A wave park comprising: a body ofwater; a track positioned in the body of water; at least one vehiclearranged on the track, the at least one vehicle for moving along atleast a portion of a length of the track; and at least two foils coupledwith the vehicle on opposite sides of the track to be moved by thevehicle along the at least portion of the length of the track, each ofthe at least two foils being at least partially submerged in the body ofwater, each foil having a curvilinear cross-sectional geometry thatincludes a leading surface that is concave about a vertical axis toprovide drag to generate a primary wave laterally in water of the bodyof water that contacts the leading surface of the foil, and a trailingsurface that narrows from a maximum width of the foil adjacent theleading surface to a point at an end of the foil, the trailing surfaceto decrease the drag of the foil and to minimize oscillatory waves thattrail the primary wave from the water moving past the leading surface ofthe foil.
 15. The wave park in accordance with claim 14, wherein thebody of water further comprises a deep region, and wherein the track isarranged proximate the deep region of the body of water.
 16. The wavepark in accordance with claim 14, wherein the body of water furthercomprises a bottom having a contour that slopes upward from the deepregion toward at least one sill.
 17. The wave park in accordance withclaim 16, wherein the sill is formed by an elongated reef that is formedon the bottom of the body of water.
 18. The wave park in accordance withclaim 15, further comprising an elongated reef formed on a bottom of thebody of water proximate the deep region.